Grants
Pass, OR - Shortly after midnight, Friday, April 29, a Grants
Pass city police officer was dispatched to a residence on Cloverlawn
Drive. A vehicle had damaged a garage and home. The driver had left
without leaving his name and other information at the scene of the damage.
This is required by state law, and failure to do so could cause the
perpetrator’s license to be suspended. An elderly resident of
the home described the impact as nearly knocking her out of bed. Since
the person had left the scene, the victim thought it may have been a
neighbor named Sean Valdez. Wonder what ever caused this elderly lady
to think it was Valdez? We can rest assured that it wouldn’t be
because he’s a “good cop” according to Sheriff Dave
Daniel!

Sheriff
Praises Valdez

And yes, this is the same
Sean Valdez who recently resigned from the Josephine County Sheriff’s
Office. In Valdez’s last tangle with the law he was reportedly
charged with fourth degree assault, a felony, on his girl friend. Apparently
he attempted to throttle her while drinking. On our website, the US~Observer
has the details of this sizzling story that is still dogging Valdez.
The case was moved to neighboring Jackson County (JaCo) for DA Huddleston
to prosecute. It appears Valdez received favored citizen status because
of his law enforcement connections with the JaCo DA who presented Valdez
with a chocolate-coated plea bargain. The charges were reduced to a
misdemeanor menacing charge, community service, a domestic violence
diversion program, and counseling. At this time Valdez still had his
police certification, and Sheriff Daniel said he would hire him back
since he was a good officer. With his latest escapade it’s most
likely Valdez has violated the terms of his plea agreement. After reading
part two of the Sean Valdez calamity, Mr. DA Huddleston needs to take
a second look at Valdez’s record. Perhaps the original charges
should be reinstated. A felony conviction would preclude him from owning
a gun and being a police officer in the future. Cops that drink to excess,
attempt to throttle women, and engage in hit and run should try another
occupation. Should Huddleston excuse Valdez’s criminal actions
further, the public will have little doubt regarding his poor to unacceptable
job performance…

My
Friend Did It

The allegations
against Valdez are adding up like takers for a free meal. The police
report includes all the following ingredients: hit and run, alcohol,
lying to a police officer, and intimidation of a victim. Initially,
Valdez denied responsibility for hitting the home structure and claimed
it was a friend driving his vehicle. The officer checked out Valdez’s
statement and found the statement to be false. When the officer asked
Valdez why he lied, Valdez responded that he didn’t know what
to say.

Valdez admitted
to drinking at local establishments and then having several beers when
he got home. The smell of alcohol was detectable on his person as mentioned
in the police report. Interestingly, no breath test was done on Valdez.
The practice of Valdez’s excessive drinking and other criminal
activity has been reported by the Observer in the past, only to fall
upon deaf ears.
The officer states specifically in his report that he told Valdez not
to go over and contact the neighbor. The officer said Valdez understood
the request. Yet Valdez ignored this order of a police officer and contacted
the neighbor the next day. The officer then received a call from Valdez
saying the neighbor had agreed not to press charges.

The neighbor was
reportedly intimidated by Valdez. She did take a check from Valdez for
$1,000 to cover the cost of her homeowner’s deductible insurance.
She told the officer she failed to see why her insurance company should
have to pay for the damages. The officer agreed that her insurer shouldn’t
have to pay.

DA
Stephen Campbell
Has a Choice

Valdez is reportedly on
a cruise and will have more questions to answer on his return. The paper
work on this case has been transferred from the Grants Pass City Police
to the local district attorney’s office. This case will take the
measure of the new District Attorney, Stephen Campbell. Will the case
be transferred to JaCo as the first case was or handled in Josephine
County since Valdez is no longer employed by the county sheriff’s
office? There should be no conflict of interest for the JoCo DA now.
Will Valdez again have his day in court or will there be another attempted
cover up?

The
Black Mark

The name Sean Valdez
has become a black mark against the Josephine County Sheriff’s
Office and of interest to the residents of Josephine County. Valdez
and Sheriff Daniel are tied together as though with a nuptial knot.
What Valdez has done reflects back on Sheriff Daniel. County residents
should be worrying about the ethics and quality of some of the deputies
in the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office as should some of the
excellent officers working there. Many crimes in the county aren’t
being investigated. Sheriff Daniel’s promises have turned out
to be a crock of pickle juice and Josephine County residents have been
left with a few criminal officers possessing the ability to charge others
with crimes. And a very, very incompetent and embarrassing Sheriff.